PINEVILLE, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — Pineville Police report a tragic incident where a father has taken the life of his own young son.
In the early hours of Thursday, July 9, a woman recounted that 31-year-old Jehaaz-Akil Khaliq Echoles forced his way into her residence at the Sabal Point Apartments. He entered their 5-year-old son’s bedroom and shut the door behind him.
After hearing a disturbance, the mother opened the door only to witness Echoles fleeing the scene. According to an affidavit, inside the room, she discovered her son engulfed in a pool of blood with multiple stab wounds covering his head, neck, and arms.
She immediately dialed 911, summoning Pineville officers to the apartment. The officers promptly tended to the child and transported him to the hospital using a police vehicle in a desperate attempt to save his life.
Tragically, the young boy succumbed to his injuries and was declared deceased at the hospital.
The child’s father, Jehaaz-Akil Echoles, was arrested at a nearby Taco Bell with help from Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police. He declined to speak with detectives and is charged with first-degree murder.
This is believed to be a domestic incident and was not random. Police say the mother of the 5-year-old and another child in the home were not hurt.
Court documents state that Echoles does not live in the Pineville apartment but instead lives in Charlotte.
Echoles has one previous conviction in North Carolina for assault on a female stemming from an incident in Oct. 2020. He currently has three other assault-related cases going through the court system but has not been found guilty.